Walking for running water

>> Le porteur d’eau is an inspiring documentary about a one-man volunteer corps

INDONESIAN ATONEMENT: Le porteur d’eau

by MALCOLM FRASER

Everyone has a different reaction when faced with the world’s numerous ills. A great many of us might shake our heads in despair at a particularly chilling or sobering news item, but will most likely turn the page and put it out of our minds. Some might donate a few bucks to a charity, and a few might invest some time in some volunteer work. But Gilles Raymond, the Québécois labour activist portrayed in the new documentary, Le porteur d’eau, did more than just put his money where his mouth was. He actually moved to a small Indonesian island to help its impoverished villagers hands-on.

Many of the local villages are without running water, and the villagers have to trek over to the nearest source for this most basic need, despite the fact that the infrastructure is in place and development money is steadily rolling into the area. As Raymond explains, most charities and NGOs have their hearts in the right place, but money has a tendency to get siphoned along the way until there’s not enough left for the causes it’s intended for. Rather than rail against the system or cynically give up, Raymond patiently treks from village to village, helping the people fix and improve the existing infrastructure so they can get access to water.

Just when you suspect that director Pascal Gélinas is lionizing Raymond as a saint, the film reveals some biographical details about the life he left behind in Quebec. Rather than a “gotcha” moment, though, it’s a chance for Raymond to explain that his altruism is a means to right the karmic balance, to atone for his past sins by doing some good for the world. There’s a hint of colonial condescension when Raymond implies that the villagers aren’t capable of organizing themselves, but considering his contribution to their lives, it seems unfair to pick on him.

The film is an NFB production, and, like many of its ilk, has a sometimes painfully earnest tone and a wanton disregard for aesthetics. Not a cinematic documentary by any means, it’s nonetheless an inspiring look at the real possibility of making a big difference on a small scale.

Le Porter d’eau opens this Friday, March 30

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